E00780: Greek inscription with a pastoral letter from bishop Hypatios of Ephesos to his community, dealing with the provision of a free burial service by the church of Ephesos, and regulating the behavior of the members of two charitable groups attached to the church of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033). Found in Ephesos (western Asia Minor), 530-539.

+
+ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἐφεσίων πιστοῖς Ὑπάτιος
ὁ ἐλάχιστος ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν. πᾶσαν
ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἑκουσίως ὑπομείνας ἀτρέπτως
κένωσιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν "ἐτα-
πείνωσεν ἑ[α]υτόν," ὥς φησιν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόσ-
τολος, "ἄχρι θανάτου, [θ]ανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ,"
καὶ μετὰ τὸν ζωοποιὸν αὐτοῦ σταυρὸν καὶ
θάνατον, ὡς ἡ τῶν εὐαγγελίων ὑφηγεῖ-
ται παράδοσις, ὑπὲρ ἀφάτου φιλανθρω-
πείας γυμνὸς καὶ ἄταφος ἀποριπτεῖται
καὶ πρὸς τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ κηδεύεται καὶ ἐν τῷ μνη-
μείῳ τῷ ἐκείνου τίθεται μέχρι τούτου κατὰ
πάντα ἡμῖν τοῖς ταπεινοῖς ὁμοιωθεὶς "χωρὶς
ἁμαρτίας." εἴ τις οὖν ἐπιμελησείη τὴν ὁσίαν
ταύτην θεραπείαν τε καὶ τιμὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς
προαναπαυσαμένοις ἡμῶν ἀδελφοῖς, γι-
νωσκέτω ταῦτα περὶ τὸν Κύριον ποιῶν· καὶ
γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἁγιωτάτη ἡμῶν ἐκκλησία τῆς πα-
ναγίας ἐνδόξου θεοτόκου καὶ ἀειπαρ-
θένου +Μαρίας καὶ τῆς τιμίας αὐτῶν ἐκφορᾶς
προενόησεν καὶ τοὺς εἰς τοῦτο διακονου-
μένους εὐαγεῖς δεκανοὺς καὶ τὰς εὐλα-
βεστάτας κανονικὰς παραμυθείαν ἔχειν
ἐκ τῶν ἑαυτῆς διετύπωσεν πραγμάτων,
ὡς μηδενὶ περιληφθῆναι φιλαργυρίας Ἰου-
δαϊκῆς πρόφασιν· καὶ εἴ τις ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν
ὑπὲρ ἐκκομιδῆς τι λάβοι παρά τινος {λαβοι}
{πα} ἢ δῷ τινι τῶν ἐκκομιζόντων {περι}
ἢ περιφρονήσοι τῆς αὐτῶν τιμίας ἐκκο-
μιδῆς ἢ τοιοῦτό τι γεγονὸς μαθὼν μὴ
προσαγγείλῃ, πρῶτον μὲν ἴστω τὴν τοιαύ-
την ἀσέβειαν εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ τοῦ κυρίου σῶμα
τολμήσας, ἔπειτα καὶ ἡμῶν καὶ πασῶν
τῶν ἁγιωτάτων ἡμῶν ἐκκλησιῶν
ἀλλότριος ἔσται +

6. [ὥ]ς Guarducci || 12. κηδε[ύ]εται Guarducci || 15. ἐπιμελησεί[ε] Guarducci

'+ Hypatios, the humblest in the Lord, to the faithful in the (city) of the Ephesians, greetings. Jesus Christ, our God, having undergone willingly and without change the whole incarnation for us, “humbled himself” as the divine Apostle says “to death, even the death of the cross”; and, after his life-giving cross and death, as the tradition of the Gospels instructs us, out of his ineffable love for mankind, he is abandoned naked and unburied, and is prepared for burial by Joseph and he is placed in that man’s tomb – even in this becoming equal to our humble selves in everything “except sin”. So, if someone undertakes to administer this pious service and respect to our deceased brethren, let this man know that he is performing it for the Lord. Because our most holy church of the all-holy and glorious Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary has provided for their decent burial, and has arranged that the charitable brotherhood members (dekanoi) performing this service, and the most pious religious women (kanonikai) should receive compensation from its own revenue, so that there may be left no pretext for Jewish greed to anyone. And, if someone, from now onwards, receives anything from anyone for funerary services, or pays one of those serving at funerals, or neglects decent burial, or, having knowledge about such an event, does not report it, first let him know that he has dared such an impiety against the body of the Lord itself, and then he will be alien to both us and all our most holy churches +.'

Text: I. Ephesos, no. 4135. Translation: E. Rizos, P. Nowakowski.